In this edition we focus on the Hucclecote Community Centre which is considered, by many, to be the hub of the Community. This well established and conveniently located Centre offers something for everyone and is always trying to promote new ideas and initiatives.
Enthusiastic Chairman Rob Barker is keen to promote the Centre in order to generate more Community interest. Rob and his team work very hard behind the scenes creating activity and entertainment programmes for all members of the family.
In keeping with the family approach, there are regular Family Fun afternoons with Magic Fillipo due to appear at the next one on November 30th and the Quiz nights which are held on alternate Sunday evenings are a nice way to round off the week end.
With Halloween and Christmas already looming there are specific events scheduled which include: Halloween Discos on the 1st November where Children will be “strutting their stuff” in the early evening, followed with the version for Adults later in the evening. The Annual Christmas Party for the Children is already planned for Sunday December 22nd and more details of this will appear in the next issue along with the entertainment details for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Social Club Entertainment includes Cabaret nights featuring top entertainers; watch out for the popular Ian Oliver who is due to appear on November 23rd. Organised Trips to a variety of places is a regular and always enjoyed feature; there is a shopping & sight-seeing trip to London planned for November 16th; this excursion is open to everyone so please contact the Community Centre Office on 01452 616289 for more details.
The new BT Sports channel has recently been installed and is already proving a popular addition with the Centre’s many sports enthusiasts. This supplements a variety of on-going sports & leisure activities including Martial Arts, Keep Fit classes, Badminton, Ladies’ and Men’s darts teams and games of Solo and Whist, and Bridge, for the playing card enthusiasts.
As a Community Centre, it is often used for demonstrations or shows by different organisations. On October 26th Adult Education in Gloucestershire is hosting a “Taster” day where people can come along and try a range of activities to stimulate their interest, or take the opportunity to indicate the activities they feel should be promoted within Gloucester.
The Community Centre Hall is available for Friday night and weekend bookings for private functions. The facilities are first class for Anniversary or Birthday parties and can include use of both the Bar and the fully equipped Kitchen. The Community Centre can also provide its own disco equipment and DJ if needed.
Small businesses and Local Groups are always welcome and it is with this in mind that a Staff Christmas Party is being planned for those Groups and Businesses in early December. Invitations will be circulated very soon but any business interested in attending a “Staff Party” should contact Rob directly at the Centre.
Whilst on the subject of Small Businesses there are several examples of businesses which have been utilising the Centre’s facilities for some time. These include:
The Teapots Coffee shop, run by Tara Carr, who has been an integral part of the surroundings for several years; Tara promotes the Coffee shop as a place to “Sit, relax and meet your friends” and it’s open to everyone on all week-day mornings.
The Step n Style Junior Dance Group always attracts lots of interest particularly from potential X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent contestants! The Centre also has Art Classes available through the skills of the talented local artist and Art Tutor, David Ochiltree.
As you may be aware, the Hucclecote Playgroup, after using the Centre as a base for almost 40 years, has now transferred to new premises at Dinglewell School. However, the Parent and Toddler Group remains really popular and hold sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and again everyone is welcome.
The Community Centre can be found in Hucclecote Road between the Library and the Police Station and can be contacted on 01452 616289 or via email to hca@care4free.net. A website for the Centre is being developed and will be available shortly.
With so much happening at the Centre, we as a Community, should be making every effort to support this sociable outlet and help the Community Centre to maintain its reputation as a place to enjoy both day and night throughout the year.
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Sunday, 22 September 2013
LONGLEVENS Junior School : The Forest School
Back in September 2011, we reported on an Outdoor Centre which was being created at the Longlevens Junior School, under the supervision of teacher, Shane Gue. Now some two years later, after revisiting the aptly named “Forest School”, I can only describe the initiative as being a resounding success!
I met with Shane, who is now Director of Outdoor Learning at the school to see just how he and the school have managed to embed this initiative into the everyday life of everyone at the school.
Shane Explains about the Forest school ethos which developed originally in Sweden in the 1950’s before extending through the Scandinavia and other European Countries. The Forest School ethos focuses on providing a safe, outdoor environment where children and young people are freely allowed to explore, discover, take suitable risks and learn in a secure area of woodland, which acts as an outdoor classroom. This provides children and young people with endless opportunities to improve their educational, physical and social skills by bringing learning to life.
All of our pupils in the school take part in the lessons. These are held in the school grounds utilising the wooded area behind the Gloucester Schools football building and leading up to the pond area. Activities include pond dipping, shelter building, kite making, wood crafting, orienteering, fence weaving, fire building and much more. The children are encouraged to develop their decision making and independence whilst raising their self-esteem. All these activities are conducted in a supervised and risk free setting which in this age is quite an achievement in itself!
Outdoor classes take place in all types of weather and with this in mind the children even have their own Clothing guide for both Hot and Cold Weather. Sessions are designed to accommodate all children’s learning styles. The Forest School supports the five key areas of Every Child Matters (Safe; Healthy; Enjoy & achieve; Economic wellbeing; making a Positive contribution).
The development of the Children is monitored and shows that they gain a considerable number of benefits from the Outdoor Classroom which focuses on the all- round development of Child.
First and foremost it’s Fun! – Everyone is in agreement that all who participate enjoy it. It develops the whole child and encourages a variety of skills: co-operation, negotiation, decision-making, risk-taking and assessment of risk to self and others. Problem solving skills and creative thinking is also encouraged. Importantly, Self- esteem is raised and it is particularly beneficial to low academic achievers who have the opportunity to become high achievers and leaders in the Forest School - Outdoor setting. There is the opportunity to develop language and vocabulary through social interaction and finally it nurtures a respect and knowledge of their environment and each other!
With Government limits on School funding, it is appropriate to acknowledge the amount of funding allocated by both the school and the Friends of LJS in providing for the Upkeep and Welfare of the Forest School.
All- weather lessons for the children are very important and as such the Friends of LJS and the School itself funded the purchase of waterproof jackets and trousers for use during these sessions. These were a vital piece of kit and have helped to keep out the rain on numerous occasions! More recently the “Friends” have provided Tents and Hammocks at the Children’s request
Already the next stages of promoting and extending the Forest school have begun. The Longlevens Infants School and the PlayDays Group have been co-opted into the Forest School hierarchy. This will mean that a child may start Playgroup at 3 years old and from then until the age of 11 will have the benefits of the Forest school ethos included in their lives. What a wonderful opportunity for them!
We cannot finish this section without some comments from the Forest school “Users”:
“It lets you see nature and and helps you to understand what nature is really about, but in a funny way – not writing it down on paper” – Katelyn“
Getting muddy and finding insects and discovering things in the pond are what makes the Forest school fun for me!” - Cameron
“Ask my pupils what their favourite lesson of the week is and I’d put money on the majority of them saying Forest School” – Class Teacher
In developing a Safe, Secure and Learning environment for the Forest school, Shane stresses that the support of Head teacher Dave Smith has been paramount in ensuring the establishment and longevity of the initiative.
Finally, Shane, who is really passionate about his subject, believes that the only way ahead, is to educate our young people to take a caring approach to the environment. On that note let’s congratulate Dave, Shane and everyone involved with Longlevens Junior School for creating this tremendous asset for the Children within our Community.
I met with Shane, who is now Director of Outdoor Learning at the school to see just how he and the school have managed to embed this initiative into the everyday life of everyone at the school.
Shane Explains about the Forest school ethos which developed originally in Sweden in the 1950’s before extending through the Scandinavia and other European Countries. The Forest School ethos focuses on providing a safe, outdoor environment where children and young people are freely allowed to explore, discover, take suitable risks and learn in a secure area of woodland, which acts as an outdoor classroom. This provides children and young people with endless opportunities to improve their educational, physical and social skills by bringing learning to life.
All of our pupils in the school take part in the lessons. These are held in the school grounds utilising the wooded area behind the Gloucester Schools football building and leading up to the pond area. Activities include pond dipping, shelter building, kite making, wood crafting, orienteering, fence weaving, fire building and much more. The children are encouraged to develop their decision making and independence whilst raising their self-esteem. All these activities are conducted in a supervised and risk free setting which in this age is quite an achievement in itself!
Outdoor classes take place in all types of weather and with this in mind the children even have their own Clothing guide for both Hot and Cold Weather. Sessions are designed to accommodate all children’s learning styles. The Forest School supports the five key areas of Every Child Matters (Safe; Healthy; Enjoy & achieve; Economic wellbeing; making a Positive contribution).
The development of the Children is monitored and shows that they gain a considerable number of benefits from the Outdoor Classroom which focuses on the all- round development of Child.
First and foremost it’s Fun! – Everyone is in agreement that all who participate enjoy it. It develops the whole child and encourages a variety of skills: co-operation, negotiation, decision-making, risk-taking and assessment of risk to self and others. Problem solving skills and creative thinking is also encouraged. Importantly, Self- esteem is raised and it is particularly beneficial to low academic achievers who have the opportunity to become high achievers and leaders in the Forest School - Outdoor setting. There is the opportunity to develop language and vocabulary through social interaction and finally it nurtures a respect and knowledge of their environment and each other!
With Government limits on School funding, it is appropriate to acknowledge the amount of funding allocated by both the school and the Friends of LJS in providing for the Upkeep and Welfare of the Forest School.
All- weather lessons for the children are very important and as such the Friends of LJS and the School itself funded the purchase of waterproof jackets and trousers for use during these sessions. These were a vital piece of kit and have helped to keep out the rain on numerous occasions! More recently the “Friends” have provided Tents and Hammocks at the Children’s request
Already the next stages of promoting and extending the Forest school have begun. The Longlevens Infants School and the PlayDays Group have been co-opted into the Forest School hierarchy. This will mean that a child may start Playgroup at 3 years old and from then until the age of 11 will have the benefits of the Forest school ethos included in their lives. What a wonderful opportunity for them!
We cannot finish this section without some comments from the Forest school “Users”:
“It lets you see nature and and helps you to understand what nature is really about, but in a funny way – not writing it down on paper” – Katelyn“
Getting muddy and finding insects and discovering things in the pond are what makes the Forest school fun for me!” - Cameron
“Ask my pupils what their favourite lesson of the week is and I’d put money on the majority of them saying Forest School” – Class Teacher
In developing a Safe, Secure and Learning environment for the Forest school, Shane stresses that the support of Head teacher Dave Smith has been paramount in ensuring the establishment and longevity of the initiative.
Finally, Shane, who is really passionate about his subject, believes that the only way ahead, is to educate our young people to take a caring approach to the environment. On that note let’s congratulate Dave, Shane and everyone involved with Longlevens Junior School for creating this tremendous asset for the Children within our Community.
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